Edited, reposted Nov. 2007


Chapter 6:New Years

"The nerve of that… that woman, how dare she speak to me like that…, how DARE she, doesn't she know who I am? I'm Darien Shields and besides that, I'm her bloody boss! You know I could fire her for this." Darien paced angrily around his kitchen: waving his finger like a pointer, punctuating key points in his recount of the day's events.

Perched on a stool in the midst of Darien's rant was Raye. Silently, she mused at how much this woman, Serena, was affecting her normally calm and self-possessed brother. How interesting this seemed to her – after all, it's wasn't every day siblings seemingly switch bodies.

"Darien darling, I believe this is the first time I have EVER seen you lose your composure over a woman like this."

Darien glared at his sister. "Have you heard NOTHING of what I've said?"

Sensing his rising hostility, she put her hands up in defence. "Oh, don't be daft, of course I've been listening to you. I'm just commenting on the miraculous power this woman seems to have over you. One dinner with that woman and you're letting her walk all over you. Honestly, I thought you were stronger than that." She teased him, baiting his anger.

He seethed once more. He should have known better than to come to his sister for help. "You are absolutely no help in this matter! Maybe I should invest in cloning technology, so I can have some of that good advice I used to give to you for myself!" his frustration was at a high and it was evidently plastered onto his face.

"So…what exactly did she do that has got you so flustered right now?" Raye had been listening to her brother's rant for nearly half an hour without truly knowing what had fired up his temper.

"What did she do…, what did she do, she…, she…, argh!" at that moment, it was evident that Darien had snapped. He threw his hands in the air, screamed and slumped into a nearby chair.

Stifling a laugh, Raye knelt down beside him to consol her troubled brother. "I thought the two of you made peace the other night."

Growling, Darien reached into his pocket and pulled out a coloured box, tossing it in front of his sister. Confused, she reached out and picked up the object from the tiled floor. It didn't take a rocket scientist to notice that it was a box of condoms. Dumbstruck, she took a closer look -- surely there was something here to explain Darien's behaviour. If not, their loving sibling relationship was suddenly taking a horrific and dangerous turn for the worse. Obviously, the latter was not the answer at all.

It only took another couple of seconds for everything to click – small condoms -- she attempted to say something that might comfort her brother but was unable to control her laughter. Clutching her side, she rolled around on the floor, every now and again taking another look at the box before falling into another fit of suffocating hysterics. There were barely audible phrases escaping her mouth, such as, "sorry, but…oooh, ho- ho," and then came, "terrible…terrible…how could she…before me, brilliant!" all of which punctuated by the sound of Raye gasping for breathe.

From his position against the 'kitchen island' Darien glared daggers at his sister. If only looks could kill he'd line both Raye and Serena up and have at it.

It wasn't until a good three minutes of laughter had subsided that Raye managed to prop herself up and clutch at her now sore stomach. "I must meet this brilliant girl!" she smiled genuinely as she took one last look at the comical box. With those "consoling" words, she dropped the condoms into Darien's lap, a mixture of fury and indignation on his face. She gave him a quick pat on the head and made her way towards the study; muttering jovially to herself "brilliant, absolutely bloody brilliant."

"That's the last time I ever ask you for advice!" Raye batted his comment away and closed the door to the study with a soft thud.

'Fine load of help she was,should have known better than to go to a girl for advice, mate. That was just plain idiocy on your part.'

He had no energy left to argue with his inner self. Taking the little voice's thoughts into consideration he closed the door to his bedroom and proceeded to call the only person he could think of, Andrew.

Ten minutes later

Darien slammed the phone down hard into its cradle. 'That was the last time he'd EVER listen to his inner self -- ever. '

"Stupid Andrew, reacting like Raye…bloody puff…" he grumbled, mumbled, groaned and whined. Such was the state of things for the next three months.

At work, Darien and Serena were nothing more than curt. Andrew's pleadings had been for naught as neither was willing to bend to the whims of the other, both too stubborn for their own good.

The last two weeks of Serena's sojourn as secretary, she was miserable. For a split second or two, she had imagined a decent relationship forming between the two – a companionship she would have been willing to partake in. But the image had been quickly shattered and buried by reality. The two were simply too incompatible.

Work had been an ordeal, with every day posing a struggle to uphold her truce with him, neither fighting with one another. But this was almost worse in a way. Instead of confronting the problem at hand, she spent hours harbouring hateful feelings towards the dark haired man, who had, disturbingly, penetrated her defences.

Darien was no better off. Serena obviously hated him, and this knowledge made him bitter and resentful. Work had become a chore as it meant facing another day filled with a woman who clearly wanted nothing to do with him, but who still managed to find ways to creep into his mind. She was a plague he could not over come and he was a demon she could not outrun.

Darien received a shock when he walked into work one Monday, fully prepared to endure another day's worth of icy stares, but was greeted by Sue Sanders, his regular secretary. He had been momentarily confused, but quickly realized that her three week break had passed by without his notice. He trudged to his office as a small part of him grew more bitter and disappointed at the absence of Serena's face. Off putting as this was, Darien decided to take it as a good sign. At least now he could go back to focusing on work…he hoped.

Her departure from London in mid September had been abrupt to say the least. The moment her work at Red Rose Enterprises had ended, she began packing up her things for her one and a half hour drive to Oxford – Lita in tow; her reasoning? An early arrival at school would be the best way to start off her first year as a graduate student. Darien was not a factor at all for her speedy departure…or so she assured herself.

The drive up the M402 and various other motorways had been a silent one. Lita kindly did not press Serena on the matter of departing from London a good three weeks ahead of schedule and so she kept her silence in the car, leaving Serena to her own thoughts.

It was more than the fact that she was mad at Darien. It was that she seemed almost disappointed by the turn of events. She assured herself over and over again that she was under no circumstances leaving early due to her fear of possibly running into Darien. She was simply ready for a change of scenery and going to school seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

She hated that he made her feel comfortable around him and had this strange power to make her act like a child around him. And most of all she resented how he had looked at her that night at the restaurant like he had really cared. She scoffed at the dastardly way he had used those piercing eyes to coerce her into telling him all about her and wondered what he had won as a result of such a bet. What had her secrets and personality been worth to him? She hated that he had used her, and she hated, more than anything, that she had let him.

The leaves of autumn quickly disintegrated at the hands of the winter wind. Serena sat in the window of her flat thinking about how quickly her first semester had flown by.

She had spent months pouring over books and dissertations. She spent what little free time she had at a local pub with a bunch of her fellow graduate students discussing and debating at their leisure any topic which came to mind. There were times where she completely forgot the disastrous circumstances surrounding her departure from London. And other times she found herself lazily daydreaming about a man with dark hair and blue eyes. She did however brush such instances off as quickly as possible and throw her mind into something new and challenging, soon forgetting the lapse in self control.

By the time the pages of Serena's calendar had flipped to December she was ready for the journey back to London where she would spend her month-plus long holiday with Andrew: as returning to the United States was not entirely at the top of her priority list.

"That will be twelve pounds fifty please." Serena waited for the customer to fish the bills out of his wallet. "Seven fifty is your change, thank you very much, please come again." She waved the customer out of the bakery and waited for the next person to step up to the till, Serena had been lucky enough to find a local bakery that needed help over the winter break and was thankful that the flexible hours allowed her time to work on her studies. She looked wistfully at the pastries and dreamt of the delicious faire she was sure to receive when Lita returned from her winter vacation.

Lita's relationship with Nathan had taken off wonderfully and seemed stronger than anything else she had ever experienced. The two were caught up in a whirlwind romance, the stuff of movies. Sighing, Serena imagined how happy Lita must be off in the Swiss Alps, or the South of France, or wherever she might be at the moment, cuddled up snug and warm with her new lover. There was a twinge of jealousy in Serena's mind that was quickly eradicated. She was happy for her friend, glad that Lita had finally found a good man to treat her well.

Serena stood there, idly tending to the customers as they passed by. She watched as people bustled beyond the glass window and reflected on her stay with Andrew. Christmas had come and gone quickly and quietly, but it was a cheery Christmas none the less. To her surprise, Andrew had taken her on a trip to the south of England for a weekend and wonderful timing it had been too, for they had caught a rare Christmas snowfall that kissed the land.

On the twenty-ninth of December, Andrew had asked Serena whether she had any plans for New Years Eve. When she quickly responded that she had none and was simply hoping the two of them would sit at home and watch the fireworks on the screen, he promptly responded with a resounding no. Apparently, there was a party he attended with out fail yearly and this year she would be joining him.

Not really one to argue, when she had nothing to argue over, she agreed. That was why at six o'clock on the thirty-first of December, Serena's room was in complete disarray.

Andrew had refused to disclose the location of the party and while Serena found this particular fact slightly odd, she did not question his motives. Instead, she had spent the last hour of her time attempting to find a proper outfit. She didn't want anything formal, yet she did not want to be too casual either. She wanted something sassy but not revealing. In essence she was looking for something classy, the perfect outfit, something all her own; unfortunately, that was exactly what was eluding her.

There was a pounding on the door followed by a muffled declaration of "half an hour left!"

Flustered, she rummaged through the heap of clothing on her bed. Finally, surrendering her plan of "original and classy" she settled for classy and donned a simple cream coloured half-off the shoulder sweater and a free-flowing knee length black-satin skirt. Putting her hair in a simple pony tail she touched up her light make up and deftly clasped a silver necklace around her neck before grabbing her purse and stepping into the living room.

She heard a whistle coming from the other side of the room. Rolling her eyes, she smiled and made an exaggerated turn, allowing the skirt to flare out a tad.

The two laughed their way out of the flat and all the way to the car where they shared a comfortable twenty minute ride to their destination.

Entering the penthouse suite where the party was situated, Serena found herself in awe. No matter how many of her cousin's associates she met, she was still struck dumb by their shameless displays of wealth.

The hardwood floors were punctuated here and there with rich silk carpets. The doors and every frame crafted expertly out of rich woods. There were antique porcelain pots around the room as well as beautiful shining ornaments galore.

She looked to her left into another room and saw perfectly preened waiters walking around with hors d'oeuvres and other waiters standing behind a long white linen table serving delicious foods.

Before her mouth could begin watering, Andrew ushered her towards the coat room where the two deposited their excess items of clothing before beginning to mingle.

She began to ask Andrew who the host of the party was, but when she turned around, she found only a sea of nameless faces. Slightly annoyed, she began a fruitless search.

By the time she had made it across the flat, she had yet seen neither hide nor hair of her cousin. Twice however, she had mistaken others for him, who of course had brought about some mildly embarrassing moments and explanations. Momentarily giving up, she made her way towards the buffet. After all, free food, free drinks, who was she to forsake such things just because she was currently missing her one and only tie to the party.

Throughout the night she continued the search for her long lost cousin to no avail. She had however, managed to meet a boat load of interesting people. Amongst them were a gallery owner from Italy named Chad who knew her cousin; a lovely woman named Mina who also knew her cousin and upon learning that Serena was Andrew's cousin admitted she found him "fairly decent looking." She also found herself talking to various people who worked under Andrew's direction, yet through the sea of people, she had yet to bump into her cousin.

Not finding Andrew posed two problems; the first being that she still had no proper tie to the party; although Mina had turned out to be a wonderfully entertaining person and the two were quickly building a friendship. The second problem was that she still had no idea whose party she was attending. She had refrained from asking any of the people she'd met, lest she unwittingly make a fool of Andrew or more embarrassingly, herself.

It wasn't until eleven o'clock, in the midst of a light-trivial conversation about shoes with Mina, when Serena saw something that made her blood boil and her eyes glaze over. There, across the room was none other than the nefarious Darien Shields, not surprisingly with some woman hanging off his arm, and as icing on the cake -- her infuriating cousin tagging behind the couple-greeting everyone in their path.

Barely excusing herself, she stormed towards her red flag. Reaching Andrew, she tapped him soundly on the shoulder. Turning, he grinned.

"Sere, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you!" he embraced her before swinging her around to face the person he had been talking to moments before. "Gary, this is my cousin, Serena, Sere, this is Gary, head of our legal department."

Serena politely shook hands with the middle aged man before giving Andrew a death glare and convincing him to talk privately with her in a far corner.

"What is he doing here?" she pointed in the general direction of the man she had come to dislike – greatly. Anger, after all, only festers with time, "better yet, what am I doing here and why did you drag me to this damned party then leave me alone? I mean, where have you been for the past couple of hours?" She whispered, the words flying at Andrew like daggers. Blushing, he tried to respond.

"Sere, I thought you'd enjoy a nice New Year's Eve party. I kind of figured, well hoped you might not realise it was Darien's." He closed his eyes and put his hands up to protect his face and awaited the explosion, or slap he expected from her. When nothing happened, he allowed himself a small peek. Momentarily stunned by his vanishing cousin, he soon spotted her near the 'coat check.' The only thought striking him was that she moved awfully fast through large crowds.

Colliding into people as he traversed the room, he finally caught up with her and took her arm as she forcefully shoved her arms into the sleeves of her coat.

"Serena please calm down."

Throwing him a harsh glare, she wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "I want to leave now."

"We can't. I'm sorry, but I have to stay. This isn't just a party. I'm striking a deal with the head of a big company at midnight; I have to stay till at least then."

"Fine, I'll go back on my own. Goodnight, Andrew." Desperate, he ran to block her path towards the door. "Serena, please – stay for just a little longer, three quarters of an hour, that's allI need. Please, just wait for the fireworks to go off, let him sign the papers and the night will be over, I promise." His eyes begged her.

She didn't know why he needed her there so badly, but she regretfully conceded. "I don't want to be around him, Andrew." Her voice was soft but strong. "I just can't be around him."

Andrew pulled her into a tight hug. He did not need to ask to figure out who she was referring to. He had long since gotten over the idea that his best friend and his favourite cousin would become friends. But it still hurt him to hear her so resolved over the matter. "Look, I'm sorry I tricked you into coming, but please, just stay a little longer. You only saw him for a moment, didn't even speak to him, and that was all. With all these people around, I'm sure you won't have to see him again tonight. Please stay." His voice pleaded.

She took a deep breath and pulled away from her cousin's warm embrace. "You owe me BIG time, Andrew."

"Thank you." Graciously he helped her with her coat and led her back to where she had been standing before her rage had gotten the better of her.

Andrew looked at his slumped over cousin. She would thank him, eventually. Maybe not today, maybe not in a month, but when she and Darien stopped being such pig-headed idiots, she'd thank him then.

With fifteen minutes left before midnight, Serena found herself plastered to one of the large windows overlooking the crowds of people beneath. The touch of the cool glass on her forehead calmed her frazzled nerves.

Not five minutes ago she had seen him. With anger in her eyes, she followed his movement, and the movement of the woman desperately clinging to his arm. Across the room their eyes met and for a moment the red that clouded her vision melted leaving nothing but the blue of his eyes; emotionless eyes that nonetheless bore holes into her soul. Before her brain could drag her out of the fog that had rolled in, he gave her a smirk and pulled his human ornament closer to him.

Quickly, Serena found herself restored to her previous shade of red, or rather a shade of green that looked strikingly like red. As she let the cold slither from her forehead to the rest of her body, she realised, fitfully, that she was somewhat jealous of the woman attached to Darien's arm. Of course she was still horribly angry with the man. That fact would never change. But, she reluctantly admitted, jealousy was mixed into her emotions, ever so lightly that was.

Slamming her head lightly against the window pane, she cursed herself. What was it about him that angered her so, and yet left her with an army of butterflies in her stomach? What was it about him that kept him lodged to the inside of her skull -- popping up here and there when she thought she'd forgotten about him? Why was she jealous of some woman she'd never seen before in her life, just because she was his date, and why did she care if he looked at her? More importantly, why did she care when he didn't?

She had told Andrew she had no desire to be anywhere near Darien. Had she said that because she loathed him and did not want to start a scene in the middle of such a lavish party, or was it because she was afraid of these strange feelings she had towards him? Whenever she was around him, she not only felt the urge to kick, punch and otherwise maim him, but also felt a nagging desire to be closer to him, to talk to him the way she had the night of their date all those months ago. Did she not want to be around him, because she did not trust that her willpower would be strong enough to resist his charm and thus send her into another several months of anguish, or was it simply because she could not stand the sight of his pompous face, or the way he held himself like a king among men.

All these questions ran through her head and clouded her thoughts. She was so deep in her musings that she did not register the increasing noise behind her. She barely noticed the massive quantities of confetti falling like snow inside and out, barely acknowledged the sounds of fireworks and noise makers. It was the New Year and she stood there numb to it all. It was as if her mind refused to process the information. What she did register however, was the pair of strong hands that spun her around and the body that pinned her to the glass. She noticed the mouth pressed up against hers, the hand cupping the back of her head while another pulled her close to the foreign body. She noticed the stark dark blue eyes boring into her shocked ones and more importantly, she noticed how gentle, yet fevered the whole exchange was.

Her eyes grew as large as the moon as she stared at the now closed eyes and black hair of the man who confused her like no other had before. Her rational mind was quickly kicked to the curb as she fell deeply into the kiss. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck and, if possible, pulled him even closer to her body. They danced a motionless dance. The world of noise and cheering fell behind as the blood rushed to their lips and for Darien, other parts of the body as well. Serena tilted her head to the side to extend the pleasure of the kiss -- after all, who was she to fight a good kisser at midnight on New Year's Eve?

The sounds of the party were completely drowned out as he brushed his lips up against hers, blood pounding in his ears from the excitement of having her in his embrace. He admitted to himself that her presence at the party had been unexpected: shocking, irritating, horrific, and blissful all at the same time.

He had seen her across the room, gazing out the window, her body a vision of beauty in the simple clothes she wore. His legs had begun moving of their own accord, bringing him quickly towards her. She had not noticed any of this, so lost in her thoughts and he in his. His mind saw nothing but her as his arms reached out to spin the goddess around until she stood before him.

Darien's eyes rolled slightly into the back of his head as he felt their tongues mingle. The kiss was timid, slow, yet undeniably sensual. He had imagined this moment for months. He had seen her in his mind yielding to him as she did now and he revelled in the knowledge that reality trumped fantasy. He almost shivered in pleasure when her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, drawing them closer together.

He broke the kiss for a moment to look at her eyes; if only he had known the consequences of his actions he would have ignored such a foolish sentimental desire. The millisecond they were apart was long enough for the spell Serena had been engulfed in to be cast into oblivion.

Clarity and sense rushed back into Serena's muddled mind hitting her over the head. He watched as every emotion under the sun filtered through her eyes until she landed on two: disgust and anger, these seeped out from her eyes and washed over him before she pushed her way past him towards the balcony.

The cold air hit her like a brick; with out a coat, the winter air chilled her to the bone instantly. She crossed her arms over her chest and clutched herself for warmth. She stood there confused. She had just let Darien Shields kiss her. More so, she had kissed him back…what had she been thinking?

She shook her head, more confused than she had been ten minutes ago. She touched her lips; they couldn't have been kissing him for more than a minute, but already she could feel their warmth with the extra blood rushing to them. She had let him devour her in a kiss that could be described as nothing less than steamy. She admitted reluctantly that it had been enjoyable, but she assured herself, it had been merely a physical enjoyment.

An image of him with his lips on hers flashed behind her eyes. "Oh god, what am I doing?" she whispered to the night air. How could it be that she had enjoyed the exchange? After all, she hated him -- didn't she? If she hated him, then why was her body so insistent on conflicting with every decision her mind made?

'Honey, when Zeus flew down as a bird, women couldn't resist him; do you think you're any different? Gods are meant to be kissed.'

'He is no god.' She cursed this never ending argument.

'He's got the wit and the body of one and don't forget the kiss.' She blushed at the image her mind provided for her in that moment.

Frustrated and angry, she re-entered the party and went straight for her coat. She could not stay around him any longer lest she lose her mind completely.

He watched as she pulled out her mobile and messaged Andrew. She would wait for him by the car, but there was no way she would wait any longer within the confines of these walls.

He watched her as she opened the door and made a hasty retreat never knowing he'd been lurking within the shadows of the balcony: his own internal debate taking over his mind. His eyes burned into the back of her head as she ran from him. He couldn't help standing there and wishing he wasn't the source of her disgust; fearing his desire to be with her had only driven her father away from him than previous circumstances ever had.

Slamming his fist against a wall, he took several deep breaths. He couldn't stop thinking about her. And now with the sensation of her body pressed against his fresh in his mind, he felt more tormented than before. If Serena was going to leave him unsatisfied and irate; well then, he might as well address one of the two. Composing himself, he went in search of Beth, his date for the night, with her Serena-like hair and Serena-like figure. He knew he was going to regret his actions in the morning -- a lot.


1. Puff – or else a pufter – Brit for gay. Not exactly P.C. – not exactly the nicest thing to call a person but what can I say, it's between friends. I mean absolutely no harm in using this term and I hope nobody take major offence.
2. Till – cash register
3. Mobile - cellphone. (not sure if I've defined that yet)

Yeah I know this was a short chapter but hey—ROMANCE! Eh eh eh? What'd u guys think? I hope you all liked it and happy belated New Years! (Happy still Chinese New Years!)

Thanks to everyone for reviewing the last chapter and I hope you all review this one too! Pls. Review! Thanks mucho! Love you all! D until next time. Cheers!

©2007 Jing2